Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Waste Management

I just dug this out from my CDs and was a brief report I wrote when I was in University. Check it out and you could even use it for your own assignment.

Waste management is an important part of the urban infrastructure, as it ensures the protection of the environment and the human health. Humans are capable of producing huge amounts of waste daily and hence it becomes our responsibility to dispose them in a proper manner using correct waste management. There are many types of waste management like Medical Waste Management that requires proper handling and disposal of used medical equipments like needles and Chemical Waste that requires treatment.

There are two major aspects to consider in waste management which are health & safety. All waste should be managed in a way that minimizes the risk to humans. In other terms, it must be socially accepted and efficient in environmental protection.

There are many companies dealing in waste management. Many of them are those responsible of collecting the waste from residential areas. So what does a waste management company do?

Waste management companies collects solid waste from residential, industrial and commercial areas mostly using specially modified vehicles to handle the waste properly. These waste management companies are sometimes privately hired and some are assigned by residential authorities. First, all the waste is placed into a collection point like a large bin using mostly man power. Then, garbage trucks collect the waste from numerous collection points around a specific area.

The waste is then disposed into huge landfills or large dumb situated in a save distance away from the public. Most landfills have an average life span of 22 years and the size varies. This depends of the geographical location and capacity. Landfills must be monitored daily to ensure that it meets all health and safety standards.

Some waste management companies also deals with recycling by converting the waste into energy. A company in America called Wheelabrator Technologies Inc pioneered the technology of converting waste to energy 25 years ago. They have managed to generate over 670 megawatts of electric energy per hour with 16 waste-to-energy facilities, enough to power almost 600,000 homes. The facilities have the capacity to burn more than 23,800 tons of waste per day, using trash as fuel to generate electrical or steam energy.

Methane gas is a reliable, renewable energy source that is produced naturally as waste decomposes in landfills. For many years, this gas has been collected and used directly for industrial use or sold to gas-to-energy plants to fuel engine or turbine driven generators that produce electricity.

What are the benefits of proper waste management? Well, the benefits to me are endless. Properly handled waste can decrease the risk of certain diseases and lower pollution. This will ensure that the community and people stay healthy.

You are playing a very important role in waste management like taking out the garbage for collection. You can indeed do more by separating your waste into recyclable and non recyclable. This will make the job of the waste management companies even easier and you too can make a difference to the environment.